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Furlan EM, Baumgartner LJ, Duncan M, Ellis I, Gruber B, Harrisson K, Michie L, Thiem JD, Stuart I. Swinging back from the brink? Polygamous mating strategies revealed for an iconic threatened freshwater fish. Sci Total Environ 2024; 919:170808. [PMID: 38336046 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2024.170808] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/07/2023] [Revised: 02/05/2024] [Accepted: 02/06/2024] [Indexed: 02/12/2024]
Abstract
Catastrophic fish death events are increasing in frequency and severity globally. A series of major recent fish deaths in the semi-arid lower Darling-Baaka river system (LDBR) of Australia are emblematic of these issues with tens of millions of native fish perishing. In 2018-2019 there was a major death event for Australia's largest freshwater fish, Murray cod (Maccullochella peelii). To aid the recovery and guide restoration activities of local Murray cod populations, it is essential to gather information on the mating strategies and effective population size following the fish death event. After the fish deaths, we collected larvae during the 2020 and 2021 breeding seasons and used single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) to provide insight mating strategies and to estimate effective population size. Larvae were detected in both years along the entire length of the LDBR. Sixteen percent of the inferred breeding individuals were found to contribute to multiple pairings, confirming a complex and polygamous mating system. A high frequency of polygamy was evident both within and between years with 100 % polygamy identified among parents that produced offspring in both 2020 and 2021 and 95 % polygamy identified among parents involved in multiple spawning events within years. Post-larval Murray cod samples collected between 2016 and 2021 were co-analysed to further inform kinship patterns. Again, monogamy was rare with no confirmed cases of the same male-female pair contributing to multiple breeding events within or between seasons. Effective population size based on Murray cod collected after the fish death event was estimated at 721.6 (CI 471-1486), though this has likely declined following a subsequent catastrophic fish death event in the LDBR in March 2023. Our data provide insight into the variability of Murray cod mating strategies, and we anticipate that this knowledge will assist in planning conservation actions to ultimately help recover a species in crisis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elise M Furlan
- Centre for Conservation Ecology and Genomics, Institute for Applied Ecology, University of Canberra, University Drive, Bruce, ACT 2617, Australia; Gulbali Institute for Agriculture, Water and Environment, Charles Sturt University, P.O. Box 789, Albury, NSW 2640, Australia.
| | - Lee J Baumgartner
- Gulbali Institute for Agriculture, Water and Environment, Charles Sturt University, P.O. Box 789, Albury, NSW 2640, Australia
| | - Meaghan Duncan
- Department of Primary Industries, Narrandera Fisheries Centre, Narrandera, New South Wales, Australia
| | - Iain Ellis
- Department of Primary Industries, Buronga, New South Wales, Australia
| | - Bernd Gruber
- Centre for Conservation Ecology and Genomics, Institute for Applied Ecology, University of Canberra, University Drive, Bruce, ACT 2617, Australia
| | - Katherine Harrisson
- Department of Environment and Genetics, La Trobe University, Melbourne, Australia; Research Centre for Future Landscapes, La Trobe University, Melbourne, Australia; Arthur Rylah Institute for Environmental Research, Department of Energy, Environment and Climate Action, Victoria, Australia
| | - Laura Michie
- Department of Primary Industries, Narrandera Fisheries Centre, Narrandera, New South Wales, Australia
| | - Jason D Thiem
- Department of Primary Industries, Narrandera Fisheries Centre, Narrandera, New South Wales, Australia
| | - Ivor Stuart
- Gulbali Institute for Agriculture, Water and Environment, Charles Sturt University, P.O. Box 789, Albury, NSW 2640, Australia
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Laroche RAS, Weinersmith KL, Davis ML, Angeloni L, Baylis JR, Newman SP, Egan SP, Wiegmann DD. Size‐associated energetic constraints on the seasonal onset of reproduction in a species with indeterminate growth. OIKOS 2023. [DOI: 10.1111/oik.09739] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/12/2023]
Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Mazie L. Davis
- Dept of Biological Sciences, Bowling Green State Univ. Bowling Green OH USA
| | - Lisa Angeloni
- Dept of Biology, Colorado State Univ. Fort Collins CO USA
| | - Jeffrey R. Baylis
- Dept of Integrative Biology, Univ. of Wisconsin Madison Madison WI USA
| | | | | | - Daniel D. Wiegmann
- Dept of Biological Sciences, Bowling Green State Univ. Bowling Green OH USA
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Franckowiak RP, Ridgway MS, Wilson CC. Genetic mating system and mate selection in smallmouth bass. Ecol Evol 2017; 7:8864-8875. [PMID: 29152183 PMCID: PMC5677493 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.3423] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/04/2017] [Revised: 07/26/2017] [Accepted: 08/03/2017] [Indexed: 11/10/2022] Open
Abstract
Mating systems are an important factor influencing the variance in reproductive success among individuals within natural populations and thus have important ecological and evolutionary implications. We used molecular pedigree reconstruction techniques with microsatellite DNA data to characterize the genetic mating system and mate selection in adult smallmouth bass spawning in Lake Opeongo. The genetic mating system of smallmouth bass in this system can be characterized as predominantly monogamous with a low rate of polygynandry particularly among larger individuals. Iteroparous individuals showed a complete absence of interannual mate fidelity, presumably due to the low annual return rate of spawning adults. Within a season, individuals from both sexes pursued additional mating opportunities with males showing greater variance in mate number than females. Female mate selection appeared to be largely random with little evidence for elevated levels of inbreeding in this population. Multiple mating females pursued additional males to whom they were less related than the first male with which they spawned within a given season, however, this pattern varied among years. The mating pattern observed in this population would likely limit the strength of sexual selection and thus could account for the lack of sexual dimorphism and the absence of alternative reproductive tactics in this species.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ryan P Franckowiak
- Environmental and Life Sciences Graduate Program Trent University Peterborough ON Canada
| | - Mark S Ridgway
- Harkness Laboratory of Fisheries Research Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry Aquatic Research and Monitoring Section Trent University Peterborough ON Canada
| | - Chris C Wilson
- Conservation and Genetics Laboratory Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry Aquatic Research and Monitoring Section Trent University Peterborough ON Canada
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